Malibu Moon filly tops fourth session at $700,000

Craig Lavin Bernick (left) talks with a Keeneland representative Wednesday, the day he paid $700,000 for a Malibu Moon filly.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A $700,000 Malibu Moon filly led selling Wednesday at the two-week Keeneland September yearling sale's fourth session on an afternoon that saw much upper-market activity from domestic shoppers.

Wednesday's fourth session sold 196 yearlings for $23,859,000 from an initial catalog offering of 325. The average price was $121,730 and the median was $85,000. Cumulatively, the four sessions so far have sold 527 horses for $95,456,000, with a four-day average of $181,131 and a $120,000 median.

The buyback rate for Wednesday was 33 percent and the cumulative buyback rate was 32 percent.

Last year's fourth session sold 252 yearlings from a significantly larger catalog of 397 grossing $26,185,500 for a $103,911 average and a $75,000 median. Buybacks were 31 percent. Cumulatively, the first four sessions of 2009 sold 703 yearlings for $117,659,500, yielding an average of $167,368 and a $110,000 median; buybacks were 35 percent.